Faroe Islands Post introduced two interesting Europa 2020 stamps that depict the harsh conditions faced by the mailmen in the mountainous country. Postal routes in the Faroe Islands have always been difficult and challenging. Formidable mountains had to be climbed and deceptive straits crossed to deliver the mail - and sometimes things went very wrong. Designed by Anker eli Petersen, the stamps feature a map that shows an ancient postal route.
The first stamp depicts the route from Klaksvik to Viðareiði. It features a specific situation in the 1890s, where two mailmen were crossing a mountain on the route, when they got caught in a massive snow storm. As they had no way of getting off the mountain in time, they tried to find shelter, by building a stone wall to hide behind. Because of the immense cold, the mailmen had to stay active, so they ended up building up and tearing down the stone wall all night long, just to keep themselves warm. As soon as dawn broke, they managed to safely get off the mountain.
The second stamp depicts one of the ships used for transporting mail between the islands. This vessel was used for a number of years as the primary means of transportation between two of the main islands, and it was in use up until 1965, when a larger ferry was commissioned. The ship fepcited on the stamp was called Olavur named after the very first postmaster on this particular route, who died in 1947, when his boat sank during a storm in the rough sea.
See also other Europa 2020 stamps.
